


Found

by thecatsmeow87



Series: From the Perspective of Kylo Ren [2]
Category: Star Wars
Genre: Dark vs. Light, Gen, I think I'm shipping this, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Interrogation, Mental Non-con, Psychological Torture, Rey is Force-sensitive, Rey is kidnapped, Reylo begins, force vision, grey force, mind probe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 14:50:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13813464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecatsmeow87/pseuds/thecatsmeow87
Summary: Struggling to decipher a cryptic vision, Kylo Ren finally encounters the scavenger girl from Jakku.





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So, this section begins with a bit of non-cannon…it falls under the premise that Kylo Ren has seen Rey, in some form (in what I believe was likely a Force vision), before their first meeting. Hints abound in the novel and film at some prior connection through their bond, and my interpretation is as follows. Enjoy.

**A/N:** Can be read as a standalone, but should be read in the order of **Resistance** / **Found** / **Forced** / **Forged.** I own nothing from Star Wars.

\----------

Alone in his quarters, Kylo Ren sat quietly, cross-legged, only the deep, rhythmic intake of his breath stirring the stillness of his chambers. His had long since abandoned time, sitting for perhaps hours—days?—discarding the impediments of the physical world. He felt nothing—not the cold of the room, not the ache in his muscles—only the deep, familiar pulse of the Force as the source of his transcendence.

It was during this time, when his mind was at its most distant, that the vision returned. It arose swiftly, materializing out of the darkness, a tumult of images and sensations tumbling swiftly over one another into chaos—

_Cold. Darkness. The thrum of rain, cruel and penetrating, soaking through him in the blackness of the night. It fell to earth in sheets, swirling into rivers of fire and blood around the battlefield's fallen. His knights flanked him, powerful and foreboding, but others, shadowed and faceless, drifted by like gray ghosts, speaking words he could not hear. As Ren wiped the streaming rain from his eyes, straining to make sense of his surroundings, he sensed it—a sudden, terrible, wraith-like shift behind him, and he felt a rush of dread as he recognized, before he ever turned, the presence of his former master. The radiant blue glow of the Jedi’s saber illuminated Ren’s face, features seeped in terror and hatred and rage—with a primal scream, Ren rose up his own weapon in defense, but the specter had vanished even before it had appeared._

_Far away—a child’s laughter? The sky became white as rain turned to snow, and Kylo Ren stood alone in a forest clearing, sunlight streaming through the branches crusted in glittering ice. Through the frosted stillness, he could hear soft footsteps, and there—somewhere before him—was a figure he could not make out. Small, lithe, female, full of light and laughter…but the form shifted like the wind, obscured by falling crystals, beyond his reach or understanding. Ren was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame; he wanted to know it, to see what—or who—it was. And he felt, rather than heard, himself speak, and stepped forward—_

_It was this movement, however small, that shattered the calm. The world around him fell away in pieces as a sudden explosion shook the sky. Like waves crashing furiously against one another, darkness broke against light in a violent cataclysm, melting together until its edges blurred, forging into a Force without color or sense or form…_

With an almost physical effort, Ren came to consciousness with a start. His chest heaved, and sweat, not rain, poured down his face. He made a deliberate effort to unclentch his curled fists.

_Not again._

****

****

****

Since the Awakening, the vision had strengthened, haunting his dreams; it whispered names, spoken yet unspoken; it wove together all of time, the past, the present, and the future, intertwining in perpetual and mysterious movement. Ren was strong with the Force, exceptionally so, and this was not the first prophecy that had been rendered unto him. But somehow, since his pursuit of the map, _this_ vision had returned with persistence. In its wake, he had struggled desperately to control the restless pacing of his mind. It was always the same—the rain, the footsteps, the girl; the surge of the Force that was neither dark nor light, but a blinding coalescence of both.

And him…Ren’s hatred of _him_ was vehement, even as a ghost.

The weathered face of Skywalker haunted his mind like a demon. He was dead— _he was supposed to be dead,_ Ren fumed inwardly—and yet he was very much _alive._ Hiding, like a coward, from the sins of his past; traitorous to all he had served, most of all his nephew. It was thus Ren’s singular, obsessive mission to eradicate the last of the Jedi from the galaxy, cleansing it from the plague of their insidious light. But now…ever since the droid, there had something more, something that played on the edges, that disturbed him tremendously. Even Hux had noticed a shift in Ren’s demeanor, his almost singular preoccupation with the series of events coloring the recent weeks. The tremor in the Force; the pilot’s escape; the scavenger on Jakku—these elements had some common thread, some binding influence that Ren could not decipher.

It maddened him.  

The buzzing of the intercom broke his reverie, nagging and insistent; it had likely been hailing him for hours. Ren fought the urge to smash it into the wall. He made little effort to conceal his foul mood as he strode through the bleak corridors of Starkiller Base, sending officers scuttling from his path _._ Even Hux, always disposed to antagonize, glanced up with hesitation, words of reproof dying on his lips.    

“Yes?” Ren asked coldly.

“We have been attempting to reach you for some time,” Hux said, carefully, but his caution was drowned beneath a terrible glow of fervor. “The weapon is nearly charged.” The man’s steel blue eyes glittered like ice, a cruel smile crossing his lips. It didn’t suit him, Ren thought.  

“Our troops await on the platform,” Hux continued, positively radiant. “Is it not glorious, Ren? The defeat of the Republic is finally at hand. Their pathetic efforts to oppose the _true_ Order are at an end.” He laughed, sneering. “And how very fitting we should quell both the Republic and the Resistance on the same day. It seems our missing BB-8 unit has been located in the Tashtor sector—on Takodana. A squadron has already been deployed and will arrive within hours.”

Ren turned to a nearby commander. “Tell the launching bay to ready my shuttle.”

Hux looked up in astonishment. “Will you not join me? To witness the destruction of the Hosnian system? Phasma’s troops are more than capable—”

Ren’s voice arched with fury, even though the modulation of his mask. “As they were on Jakku? Your reconnaissance was unable to locate even their _ship_ , much less the map. No, General Hux, I will retrieve the droid personally. Your men may destroy whatever remnants of the Resistance might remain.”  

Mildly affronted, the ginger-haired man grimaced childishly at the dark figure as it turned away. Ren was accountable to no one but Snoke, and both had long since deserted any facade of harmony. Without direct orders from his superior, Ren would act as he wished, despite the dangerous tension that often lingered in his wake.

*                *                *

Standing aboard the bridge of the _Finalizer,_ Ren had paused to watch the brilliant red glow of energy streak across the galaxy. It was terrifyingly beautiful, illuminating the void as it dispersed, and he felt a seismic disturbance in the Force as the beam split apart to obliterate its targets. He could hear a thundering cacophony of terrified of voices screaming out—millions of them, simultaneously—and then, the expanse returned to silence, stars twinkling as the night around them returned to darkness, as though the shudder of the galaxy had been little more than a sigh.

He felt nothing.

Turning, Ren made his way to the launching bay, boarding his shuttle as its intercom buzzed. “Sir. Coordinates have been set for Takodana.”

“Acknowledged.” He turned off the communicator and activated his ship. It was nearly over. Despite the obstacles, the insidious delays, and the failures of Hux’s blundering troops, it was nearly over.

He had won.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Struggling to decipher a cryptic vision, Kylo Ren finally encounters the scavenger girl from Jakku.

Kylo Ren stepped carefully through the jumbled wreckage on Tekodana, heaping columns of shattered rock and twisted metal marring what had, for millennia, served as opulent haven of safety. Explosions of blaster fire erupted around him, armed stormtroopers scattering the last of the vermin from the ruins. They were of no interest to him.

“Sir.” A sergeant hailed Ren. “The droid was spotted heading west…”

He nodded.

“…with a girl.”

In an instant, Ren’s head snapped towards the forest.

A girl.

 _The_ girl.

Another thread. Another convergence.

His feet seemed to move on their own, and without hesitating—without even thinking—Ren strode towards the thicket, his pace quickening in long strides. He wanted to find her _...No,_ he corrected himself; _he needed to find her._ This _girl_ was the key to everything; in some strange way beyond his understanding, she was at the center of this turbulence, hindering his pursuit of Skywalker, fracturing the inner sanctity of his mind as his thoughts and dreams melted together, until Ren could barely distinguish one from the other. He was determined, relentlessly determined, to regain control of all this, and something deep within him whispered that _she_ would be his redemption.

He tracked her, soundless. Finding those who wished to evade him was a skill that Ren was adept at; those he hunted rarely escaped his grasp. As he moved, Ren bent down carefully to examine the broken twigs and deep imprints in the soft peat—both telltale signs of careless flight. Clearly, the girl was fleeing without any attempt to conceal her direction. After a time, the sounds of blasters and gunships gave way to the living pulse of the forest; it was beautiful, sunlight streaming in thick shafts through the leaves, the quiet hoots of strange creatures stirring the air. It was a breathtaking change from the icy tundra of the weapon base, but the eden was lost on him.

There.

In the silence, he heard the crack of a fallen branch; a heavy breath, strained with exertion. _She_ was in the ravine ahead, thinking herself hidden by its recesses.

Foolish girl. 

Ren followed her easily, no more than a whisper, slipping silently into the shadowed gully. He stalked her, cruelly, playing a game as she jumped at every unknown sound, her fear crashing through him in waves. _She deserves it_ , he thought with anger—she, who had taken the droid, stolen his father’s ship, and forced him to pursue her to the far reaches of galaxy. Ren would admit that it was the most remarkable story, and he was oddly curious to discover it… _before its final chapter_ , he thought with dark humor.

_Click._

The cock of her blaster sounded in his mind barely a moment before her fingers moved on the trigger. In reflex, Ren ignited his own weapon, a saber of seething, fiery fury that hissed and spat in uncertain stability. He deflected the blast, with ease.

And he saw her.

Ren's eyes locked onto hers from behind the sphere of his mask, and for a brief moment, his step faltered. She was surprisingly... _plain_ , dressed simply, with pale skin and wide brown eyes brimming with fear. _A disappointing opponent_ , he decided, tilting his head. He had truly expected more. The thrill of the chase having dimmed, Ren strode forward almost lazily, forcing the girl backwards, enjoying the game. Her aim was careless and erratic, like that a of child, blasts ricocheting against his blade and sparking against the rocks behind him. As she scrambled up the banks, he could feel her despair, her utter _desperation_ , as she realized there would be no escape from the figure that haunted her.

 _Enough._ Ren met her there, finally annoyed at the aimless barrage of blaster fire. He reached out his hand to paralyze the girl, stilling her weapon, and reached inquisitively into the forefront of her mind.

The intention he found there was so violent that it startled him.

“You would _kill_ me. Knowing nothing about me,” Ren spoke, his voice irritated through the deep, grinding inflection of his mask.

The girl’s eyes narrowed at the accusation, speaking with difficulty. “Why shouldn’t I want to kill you?” she managed, struggling for breath. “I know about the First Order."

“I would say otherwise,” Ren countered, almost as an afterthought. "So very frightened,” he murmured as he circled her. “Yet, I should be the one to be afraid. You shot first. It was _I_ who was forced to defend myself against _you_.” As he stepped closer, considering his prize, he could feel waves of dread sweeping through her like a tempest. Ren knew—as was his intention—that he must appear as a figure from a nightmare, his black cloak and scarred mask terrifying. _Fear_ , he thought— _fear through intimidation was a far more persuasive tool than any physical weapon._ As he came back around, preparing to question her about the droid, there was, he realized... _something_. Something unexpected, something that he had missed, ever so foolishly, in his advance…his mind froze, and with a sudden epiphany, Ren shifted his perspective, altering his consciousness to look at his captive through the dark prism of the Force.

What he saw astonished him.

This _child_ , who stood quivering fiercely before him; this _scavenger,_ from the barest, cruelest wastelands of the galaxy—this girl, insignificant as she was, positively _radiated_ with the living energy of the Force. Like a river, it cascaded through her, around her, almost visible in the brightness of its intensity. So strong, so blindingly _powerful_.

_And she didn’t know it._

The realization left Ren nearly breathless. All thoughts of the droid vanished and he drew his mask close, raising his lightsaber to illuminate her face. As its red energy warmed her skin, close enough to burn, a soundless scream rose in her throat. Ren’s voice was mystified.

“Who _are_ you?”

He sheathed his weapon and reached up slowly, resting his gloved fingers lightly on her face. What compelled him to do so he couldn't fathom, but in his awe, he felt the need to breach even the smallest of distance between them. She, of course, looked away, the only small power that remained within her grasp, and her breath quickened as the dark figure touched her skin.

As Ren began to reach more thoroughly into her mind, dark filaments of the Force curled around her thoughts, forcing them open. His approach, though not gentle, was somewhat tempered by curiosity. Recent memories came the easiest, bubbling to the surface, and Ren saw flashes of faces, names… 

Ren sneered. “I see you’ve met the traitor who served under me,” he chided, and laughed unpleasantly. “You’ve even begun to care for him. A weakness, such distractions.” The girl’s eyes widened and her lips parted in horror as she realized that he was _sifting through her consciousness_ , and Ren almost smiled to himself as she tried desperately, hopelessly, to close herself to him. He could feel the painful fire scorching through her skin at the effort, and despite her clumsy resistance, a quick succession of memories flickered through her mind. Vast, gleaming desert sandlands; the bleak oasis of Niima Outpost; the chittering droid; the cockpit of the _Falcon_ ; the bright codex of the map—

Ren lurched backwards, pulling his hand from her face. “The map,” he breathed, astonished once again. “You’ve seen it.” He had glimpsed it, fleetingly, with its holographic orbs and auroral stars. It was there. _In her mind._ He moved to speak, to take it—

Ren’s interrogation was interrupted by heavy footsteps, crashing through the foliage.

“Sir.” A squad leader approached. “Resistance fighters. We need more troops.”

Ren regained his composure with collective ease. “Pull the division out,” he commanded, and turned towards his captive. “Forget the droid. We have what we need.”

With a simple gesture of his hand, the girl collapsed, losing consciousness. As she fell, Ren caught her, pulling her listless form deftly into the folds of his cloak as he carried her towards the castle ruins. This scavenger, so strong in the Force, in possession of the knowledge he so desperately craved, was far too important, far too valuable, to be trusted to any other. As he strode through the rubble, oblivious to the hostile fire of the Resistance exploding around him, Ren felt a strange flicker of possessiveness. The door of his command shuttle hissed open at his approach, embers from charred debris floating by like softly burning snowflakes.

This _girl_ , he thought; this extraordinary _creature_ —she belonged to him.


End file.
